In the wake of this denial, Tracy Chevalier’s novel Girl With a Pearl Earring provided an alternative, fictional answer: She was the family maid’s assistant, Griet (played by Scarlett Johansson in the film), who became Vermeer’s love interest.

Who does Griet end up with?

Cornelia seizes the chance to let Catharina discover this and in the resulting scandal Vermeer remains silent and Griet is forced to leave. Ten years later, long after Griet has married Pieter and settled into life as a mother and butcher’s wife, she is called back to the house following Vermeer’s death.

Why did Griet hide her hair?

Why is it so important to Griet that her hair is kept hidden? A. It’s an idea that came from the Bible, where women’s hair is meant to be a seductive thing. Griet is aware of that and covers her hair because it represents a wilder, sensual side of her that she doesn’t want to reveal to other people.